I simply haven’t had the time for any liveblogging today so I’ll instead summarize the day so far:
- Palestinian terrorists fired 10 Qassams into Israel, while we continued to send medical supplies and food their way.
- And Qatar has been sending millions of dollars their way.
- Hizbullah said it is ready for another war with Israel but it will not start one. Given that they reportedly have an arsenal including 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern Lebanon, I tend to believe they are ready. But I certainly don’t believe they won’t start it.
- An Israeli thought it would be a good idea to enter a palestinian village to sell his car, and ended up being shot in the stomach by a palestinian. At first, it looked as thought he may have been shot after getting into an argument. Now it is reported that he was apparently caught in the crossfire of a clash between two village clans. What is clear is that the man is an idiot.
- An Ashkelon man built his own homemade ballistic missile which he planned to launch from Ashkelon into the Gaza Strip. However, police prevented him from doing so.
- The Arab League apparently said something. Bla bla bla.
- PA President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to resume peace talks with Israel.
- According to a poll, Americans love us. Then again, the poll placed us just above France, so I’m not sure what to make of it.
Updates (Israel time)
9:30PM: We already know the terrorists are using palestinian civilians as human shields. What might not be as well known is the fact that on many occasions, the “civilians” are willingly putting themselves in this position. Here’s some proof, taken from the palestinian media, via the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC).
1) Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV and PalMedia Website called upon civilians to form a human shield at the home of Abu al-Hatal in the Sajaiya neighborhood (in Al-Sha’af according to other version) because the IDF had threatened to blow it up (March 1).
Al-Aqsa TV, March 1
The inscription reads: “Hamas calls upon on [the Palestinian] public to come to the house of Abu al-Hatal in al-Sha’af [neighborhood] to act as human shields” (Al-Aqsa TV, March 1).2) Al-Aqsa TV called upon the Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to go to the house of shaheed Othman al-Ruziana to protect it because the IDF was threatening to blow it up (February 29).
3) Al-Aqsa TV called upon the residents of Khan Yunis to gather at the house of Ma’amoun Abu ‘Amer because the IDF was threatening to blow it up (February 28). An hour later dozens of Palestinians from Khan Yunis were reported to have gathered on the roof of Abu ‘Amer’s house to serve as human shields to prevent the house from being hit (Pal-today Website, February 28) .
4) Al-Aqsa TV called upon Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to go to the house of shaheed Musab al-Ja’abir to protect it because Israel was threatening to blow it up (February 29).
5) The PIJ’s Radio Sawt al-Quds called upon civilian to gather around the house of Fawzi Abu al-Hamed in the Absan al-Kabira region to prevent it from being blown up by the IDF (March 1).
Found via Elder of Ziyon.
9:36PM: Now the Ha’aretz news ticker reports that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has claimed responsibility for the shooting of the Israeli man near Hebron. So it was either a terror attack after all, or the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (affiliated with Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah) merely wants to use the incident for PR. Because killing and maiming Jews is always good for the palestinian popularity ratings.
10:00PM: Yesterday, it was Creepy-Ass Black Hat Guy. Today, it’s Creepy Inbred-Looking Guys’ turn to parade around the body of the dead palestinian infant.
What’s also creepy is to wrap up a dead body to look like a floral bouquet.
10:53PM: More on the shooting:
A 30-year-old Israeli was moderately to seriously wounded and a Palestinian killed Wednesday evening in a shooting attack in the West Bank village of Idna, near Hebron.
Earlier reports had indicated that the shooting was not terror-related, and that the man had been caught in the cross-fire when members of two local clans clashed. However, it later appeared that the man, who had entered the Area B village to conduct business with a local man, had in fact been targeted.
Israel Radio reported that the Israeli was sitting in his car with Muhammad Nufal, 40, when terrorists opened fire at them from a passing car. Nufal was killed, but the Israeli, who sustained a wound to his stomach, drove himself to the nearby Tarkumiya checkpoint.
Volunteers from Hazolah Judea Samaria evacuated him to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Some two hours after the incident, the Fatah-affiliated Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting. The Palestinian news agency Ma’an said the Aksa Brigades issued a statement in which it said that the “business deal” had been a trap. The report was unconfirmed by security officials.
11:00PM: Introducing our latest (defensive) weapon: Suicide bombing resistant buses.
